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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nCUSTOMS FRONTLINE \u2013 In this action\/thriller from Hong Kong,\na customs officer and his trainee are handed a case involving arms smuggling.\nWorking jointly with Interpol, they discover that a criminal syndicate is using\nHonk Kong as a base point of operations to move in weapons from Thailand. As\nthings escalate, the leads come into conflict with those around them, and end\nup having to use unusual tactics to stop the villains. This picture was largely\npanned by the press. A small number of reviewers thought that the action scenes\nwere well-handled and the story had a few novel twists. Unfortunately, the vast\nmajority were critical of the performances and the visual effects, calling the\nfilm ludicrous, nonsensical, and ultimately tedious to endure. It stars Jacky\nCheung, Nicholas Tse, Karena Lam, Francis Ng, Yase Liu and Yase Liu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nDEATH STREAMER \u2013 The latest low-budget creeper from\nindependent director\/producer\/distributor Charles Band (Parasite, Trancers,\nMeridian, Dollman vs. Demonic Toys, Evil Bong, The Gingerdead Man<\/em>) is about\na modern-day vampire who wears camera-glasses when he ventures out. He\nlive-streams his nightly bloodsucking adventures to viewers, who pay to watch\nhis violent exploits. Things go haywire for the undead figure when a trio of\nsupernatural investigators begin stalking him. This title has only been seen by\na handful of genre critics who specialize in reviewing direct-to-disc films.\nTheir response appears to be mixed. Some claim that the picture delivers\nexactly what you\u2019d expect of a Band production and delivers cheesy fun. But\nmost call it a missed opportunity with a weak script and an abrupt,\ndisappointing finale. The cast includes Sean Ohlman, Aaron Michael McDaniel,\nEmma Massalone, Kaitlin Moore and Chili Jean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n EAT THE NIGHT \u2013 A small-time drug dealer spends most of his\nfree time playing an online video game with his sister. When the server goes\ndown, the game-addicted sister panics and searches for help from her sibling.\nIn the meantime, he ends up meeting and falling for another dealer. The\nincreasingly strained relationship between the brother and sister begins to\ncause problems for his business and grave danger for both. This\nforeign-language drama from France has earned more positive notices than\nnegative ones. Roughly one-third commented that the movie was bold and tried to\ntell a unique story, but that its characters weren\u2019t fleshed out and that they\ndidn\u2019t feel invested in them. Still, many did complement the work of the cast\nand thought there were some effective, original, exciting and ultimately tragic\nmoments that addressed technology and other modern themes. It features Theo\nCholbi, Erwan Kepoa Fale and Lila Gueneau.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ERNEST COLE: LOST AND FOUND \u2013 South African photographer\nErnest Cole is the subject of this documentary. It details how, at age 27 in\nthe late 1960s, the artist collected his work into a book exposing to the world\nthe horrors of Apartheid. Viewers learn that despite the attention, Cole\nwas forced to go into exile and spend the rest of his life dealing with anger\nand frustration at the western world for not acting faster and stopping the\natrocities being committed. The filmmakers also recount how 60,000 negatives of\nthe photographer\u2019s work were recently found during the sale of a Swedish bank.\nAll but one critic who saw this picture admired it. The lone voice complained\nthat it generalized its subject and needed more intimate personal details.\nStill, everyone else wrote that the movie was a fascinating and powerful\ntribute that will help introduce many to an incredibly important figure. They\nalso said that while depressing, by its close the movie felt inspirational.\nLaKeith Stanfield provides the voice of Cole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n EVERY LITTLE THING\u2013 If you happen to be in the mood for more\ndocumentaries, you can also check out this look at author and hummingbird\nrehabilitator Terry Masear. She is a Hollywood, California resident who became\nan expert at caring for these wounded birds. The picture shows what inspired\nher to devote her time to assisting them and then shows attempts to help\nseveral badly wounded hummingbirds recover from their injuries. Response to the\npicture has been very upbeat. One or two believed that, while sweet, there\nreally wasn\u2019t enough material here to justify a feature film. But all other\nreviewers described the film as wonderful and motivational, letting viewers\nlearn more about the avian species as well as teaching empathy for all living\ncreatures. For the time being, this is a DVD-only release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY \u2013 Those who enjoy ultra-low-budget\nhorror have another option this week with this indie horror effort from the\ndirector of the 1980s cult title The Dead Next Door<\/em>. This tale is set\nduring a pandemic and follows a science denier who refuses to get vaccinated.\nWhen he gets ill, he finally visits his doctor, who tells him that they\u2019ve run\nout of doses. Desperate, he agrees to take an experimental drug instead. While\nthe lead initially recovers, he starts experiencing very nasty side effects.\nSpecifically, his body begins to literally fall apart. The lead then learns\nthat the only way to delay decay is to eat human flesh. This is a\ndirect-to-disc title funded through Kickstarter. There are currently no reviews\nfor it yet, so if you\u2019re interested, you\u2019ll just have to take a chance on it.\nThe cast includes James L. Edwards, Drew Fortier, Tina Krause, Sasha Graham and\nBrinke Stevens. <\/p>\n\n\n\n WILDCAT \u2013 This biopic tells the story of novelist\/short\nstory writer Flannery O\u2019Connor, who lived in Georgia and whose work was known\nfor being disturbing and violent for its era (the 1950s). The film follows her\npersonal trials as she attempts to complete her first major novel, while also\ndealing with criticism from family, editors and readers for the violent tone of\nher pieces. The film was co-written and directed by Ethan Hawke and stars his\ndaughter Maya Hawke as the noted writer. The press gave this independent drama\nmore positive write-ups than negative ones. A sizable number stated that the\nscreenplay went on too many eccentric and fantastic tangents and they had\ntrouble getting involved in the story. However, the majority found the lead\nperformance to be exceptional and thought the movie presented an interesting\ntake on a very complicated and difficult but fascinating figure, as well as the\ncreative process. It also stars Laura Linney, Philip Ettinger, Rafael Casal,\nDavid Towne, Cooper Hoffman and Steve Zahn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n BLASTS FROM THE PAST!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s a notable week for those interested in picking up some\nolder titles. Horror fans who grew up in the 1980s will no doubt remember the\nheavy metal-themed Trick or Treat<\/em> (1986). This entertaining genre pic\nfollows a high school kid whose favorite artist dies tragically. When he gets\nhis hands on the last recording from the musician, he plays it backwards on his\nturntable. The demonic heavy metal star is resurrected and goes on the rampage,\nwhile the kid attempts to stop him. Marc Price, Glen Morgan, Lisa Orgolini, and\nTony Fields along with actual rockers Gene Simmons and Ozzy Osbourne, are\nfeatured in the movie. It made an impression on many teens during its original release\nand has plenty of memorable moments, but disappeared soon after and has been\nhard to find.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Synapse Films is now releasing the movie on both 4K Ultra HD\nas well as on Blu-ray. The picture has been restored in 4K from the original\ncamera negative, and supervised by the film\u2019s director of photography Robert\nElswit (Punch-Drunk Love, There Will Be Blood<\/em>). This means that after\ndecades of poor transfers, the picture essentially looks like a new movie. The\nrelease contains three commentaries, including one with director Charles Martin\nSmith, another with co-writer\/producer Michael S. Murphey, and co-writer Rhet\nTopham, alongside a third track giving a detailed history of the \u201cSatanic\npanic\u201d music of the 1980s and the history of backmasking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is also a lengthy retrospective documentary on the movie with most of the cast and crew, featuring director Charles Martin Smith, actors Marc Price, Glen Morgan, Elise Richards, and Larry Sprinkle, writer\/producer Joel Soisson, costume designer Jill Ohanneson, assistant set costumer Francine Decoursey, construction foreman Tom Jones, Jr., special make-up effects artist Everett Burrell, music executive producer Stephen E. Smith, composer Christopher Young, and a special appearance by Gene Simmons. Additionally, you\u2019ll get a tribute to Tony Fields, the actor who played the villain in the film. There is also a featurette on the locations used in the movie, a music video from its release, trailers, TV spots, radio spots and a still gallery with an optional interview with the photographer. Vintage press kit materials are included as well, and it comes in fancy packaging with reversible cover artwork.\u00a0Read a full review of the disc here!<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The impressive James Caan thriller Thief <\/em>(1981) is\ngetting a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo pack from Criterion. This stylish\neffort from Michael Mann (The Last of the Mohicans, Heat, The Insider,\nCollateral<\/em>) tells the story of an ex-con trying to pull off one last score,\nbut running into notable difficulty while doing so. This set contains a 4K\nrestoration of the director\u2019s cut supervised by Mann. You\u2019ll get an archival\ncommentary track with the director and star, interviews with Mann, Caan, and a\ndiscussion with a member of Tangerine Dream who contributed to the score. It\nalso comes with a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Deaf Crocodile Films is delivering some interesting European\ngenre efforts on Blu-ray. The Golden Fern<\/em> (1963) aka Zlate Kapradi<\/em>\nis a moody Czech fairy tale about a shepherd who discovers a magical plant that\ngrants powers, but also corrupts its owner. The picture has been restored from\na Czech film archive for this presentation. A movie historian commentary, a\nvisual essay on the title, an interview with the son of the late filmmaker, and\na trio of three rare shorts by the director are listed as bonuses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kin-dza-dza!<\/em> (1986) is a Russian sci-fi comedy about\ntwo men who accidentally travel to a strange alien world. The disc contains a\nnew picture restoration from the camera negative, a film historian commentary,\nan hour-long interview with the lead actor, a video essay on the themes in the\ntitle, a special featurette on the history of Soviet sci-fi cinema, and a\nwritten essay on the picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians<\/em> (1981) is a\nCzech satire based on the writing of Jules Verne that follows an inventor in\nthe late 19th<\/sup> century and his wild inventions. Apparently, the\noriginal pressing of this title from a year ago sold out, so this is a second\nedition containing all the same impressive features as the previous version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Irish title The Outcasts<\/em> (1982) is also getting\nthe Blu-ray treatment. It\u2019s a period effort about a widower whose young\ndaughter gets accused of being a witch. This disc boasts a 2K picture\nrestoration from the 16mm original negative, along with interviews with the\ndirector, the score composer, early 8mm films from the director with cast\nmembers like Peter O\u2019Toole, Charlton Heston, and Sammy Davis Jr.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Heading back to Eastern Europe, Prague Nights<\/em> (1969)\nis a Czech anthology horror film with all of the tales set in the title city.\nThe Blu-ray has an interview and commentary track with the daughter of the\npicture\u2019s co-director and co-writer, short films made by the filmmaker, an\nessay on the making of the movie, and new art for the box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And Zerograd<\/em> aka City Zero<\/em> (1989) is a Russian\nsatire about a repairman arriving at an estate and encountering so much trouble\nfrom the corrupt government that he can\u2019t seem to leave. This is another\nout-of- print Blu-ray from the distributor that is getting a repressing with\nthe same features and bonuses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kino is presenting some interesting titles this week. Back\nin the day, the comedy Best Defense<\/em> (1984) earned a lot of press in the\nweeks leading up to its release. It starred Dudley Moore as a tank designer and\nEddie Murphy as the man tasked with taking the weaponry into combat. The movie\nintercut the two characters in different timelines. The film was poorly\nreceived and considered a flop back in the day. It has been hard to find for\nsome time, but is now debuting on Blu-ray. Those interested can see if it has\naged well and is ready for rediscovery. The disc contains a 4K restoration from\nthe original camera negative, a recently recorded audio commentary from the\nscreenwriter\/producer, and a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cry, the Beloved Country<\/em> (1951) with Canada Lee and\nSidney Poitier is also arriving on Blu-ray. The story involves a man searching\nfor his lost son in South Africa. This disc includes a HD master from Studio\nCanal taken from a 4K scan of the original camera negative, as well as a film\nhistorian commentary and bonus interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Disaster movie enthusiasts can now pick up a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo of the Sylvester Stallone effort Daylight <\/em>(1996). Stallone plays a man trying to save motorists who become trapped under a collapsed tunnel linking New Jersey and Manhattan. The large cast also includes Amy Brenneman, Viggo Mortensen, Barry Newman and Dan Hedaya. You\u2019ll get a 4K picture restoration from the original camera negative, a director commentary, a making-of, an EPK featurette, a music video from the film, and trailers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Peter Sellers comedy Two-Way Stretch<\/em> (1960) is\nalso arriving on Blu-ray. The comedic legend plays a prison inmate who plots to\nescape his cell in order to pull off a big heist and then return before anyone\nnotices. The disc features a film historian commentary and trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Japanese martial arts action\/comedy Samurai Fiction<\/em>\n(1998) is also arriving on Blu-ray this week from Media Blasters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, Mondo Macabro is presenting The Hungry\nSnake Woman<\/em> (1986) on disc. It\u2019s an Indonesian genre picture featuring a\nnasty supernatural figure who transforms one of her victims into a vampire and\nhas him do her bidding. It\u2019s considered one the craziest and most surreal genre\ntitles ever made in this part of the world. The disc includes a 2K restoration\nof the film from the original camera negative, as well as new cover art for the\nrelease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Killer Is Not Alone<\/em> (1975) is a Spanish slasher\nabout a young man stalking beautiful women. This \u201cStandard Edition\u201d Blu-ray\ncontains a 4K restoration from the original camera negative, an interview on\nthe title with a film expert, a movie historian commentary track, and a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Troma is delivering a Blu-ray of the low-budget\nhorror\/comedy Eating Miss Campbell<\/em> (2022). The plot follows a Vegan goth\ngirl who begins to crave human flesh. Like other releases from the distributor,\nit comes packed full of extras.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also pick up a Blu-ray of the extended director\u2019s\ncut of 100 Tears<\/em> (2007) Unearthed Films. This genre picture involves two\njournalists hunting down a serial killer who dresses like a clown. Before long,\nthey become the targets of the maniac. Bonuses include two director commentary\ntracks, an interview with the filmmaker, a making-of, behind-the-scenes\nfootage, outtakes, and childhood short films made by the director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I have never heard of this title, but VCI is releasing a Blu-ray of the well-regarded Irish comedy, Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx<\/em> (1970). The feature about a working-class family stars Gene Wilder and Margot Kidder and details embarrassed relatives trying to deal with a troubled individual (played by Wilder), who\u2019s obsessed with scooping up horse dung and selling it for use in flower gardens. The disc contains a movie authority commentary and a restored original trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Here is a list of what\u2019s available on disc this week for\nchildren.<\/p>\n\n\n\n PBS Kids: Every Day is Earth Day<\/em> (PBS Kids) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n ON THE TUBE!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n And below you can find all of the TV-themed releases coming\nyour way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All Creatures Great and Small<\/em>: Season 5 (PBS) Blu-ray\nor DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fraser<\/em>: Season Two (2023 series) (CBS) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n Morning Show Mysteries<\/em>: Complete Movie Collection\n(Hallmark) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n NOVA: Lost Tombs of Notre Dame<\/em> (PBS) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n Quantum Leap<\/em>: Season 2 (2022 series)<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/DVD-Eat-the-Night-France-fixed.jpg\")
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